Circular knitting machine



Jan. 14, 1941. A. v. CLARKE CIRCULAR KNTTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 22,1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1. 7 V

1941- A. v. CLARKE CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 22

,- 1938 4 Sheecs-Sheet 2 A., V. CLARKE CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FiledSept. 22, 1938 4 SheetS-Sheet 5 Jan. 14; 1941. A. v. CLARKE I CIRCULAR7KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 22, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig. 4.

taneously with this movement, a latoh guard ring 45, on which a batteryof interchangeable yarn feeders 43 is mounted, is swung about pivot I8into register with the bottom cylinder I l. These feeders are operatedfrom pin drum 50 which is racked from control drum 89.

The present invention is applicable to a machine in which the said topcylinder l0 and its cam box I2 are displaceable by hand, but it isillustrated as applied to a machine in which said parts are displaceableunder power applied by the drive shaft I6 and pinion I5. Briefiy,displacement is effected by placing a restraint upon relative movemcntbetween cylinder l0 and cam box [2. To do so rocker 36 is operated bymeans of push rod 31 from control drum I89 to permit Wedge 34 to riseand key 3l to move under the influence cf spring 32 into slot 33 ofmember 26. The said member 26 is rotatably mounted on a sleeve 24 at thetop of the cylinder I0 and has projections 28 received betweencompression springs 29, 30 in slots 21 in a member 21 fast on thesleeve24. Hence the cylinder is prevented from rotating and swings (accordingto the direction cf rotation or oscillation of drive shaft I6) over ringIl until brought to rest by one or other of resilient stops 38, 3.9. Anyshock caused by the engagement of key 3I in slot 33 is taken up by thecompression springs 29, 30, and when the cylinder reaches its appointedposition and is brought to rest by one of the said resilient stops anydelay in withdrawing the key merely serves to compress springs 29, 30,further.

Means, such as plunger 40 operated through the lever 4I from a suitablecontrol (6. g. a control drum) are provided for locking the uppercylinder ID in each of its extreme positions.

The vertical drive shaft I6 is supported by means of a bearing which issecured in the upper end of the vertical standard I40, but this bearingis adjustable within said standard to cause the drive shaft I6 toapproach slightly towards or to recede from the cylinder axis. By thisadjustment the gear teeth by which the top cylinder I0 is driven may becorrectlymeshed without variation in the distance between the axis ofthe top cylinder and the axis about which it swings, and withoutthrowing the tricks of the two cylinders out of alignment. It may herebe noted that although consequent upon such adjustment the axis of thedrive shaft I6 and the axis cf displacement of the cylinder Il! may notconcide exactly, the discrepancy is small, and the cylinder is stilldisplaceable about the drive shaft.

This bearing may consist of a bush I42 received within the interior ofthe pivot I40' aforesaid and having a bore in which the vertical driveshaft I6 rotates. The said bush l42 has a clearance in the interior ofthe pivot I40 and is provided with a fiange I42 that is drilled at onepoint with a hole through which a pivot screw I44 extends up into thematerial of the standard, see Figs. 3 and 4. Substantially diametricallyopposite this pivot hole the flange I42 is pierced with an arcuate ortangential slot I43, through which a clamping screw I44 extends into thematerial of the standard I40. Hence after the two said screws [44, I44have been slackened, the bush I42 may be adjustedwithin the standard I),and about the pivot screw M4, 50 as to cause its shaft-recciving bore toapproach towards or to recede from the cylinder I0. An adjustment screwl45 or screws may be provided for securing a fine adjustmcnt.

Instead of there being a single slot I43 opposite 3. pivot screw I44,there may be two diametricaily opposed slots such as I43 (the secondslot being shown.in dotted fines in Fig. 4).

In an alternative arrangement illustrated in Fig. 5 the bush 242 has itsshaft-receiving bore eccentric to its outer periphery, so that byrotating the eccentric bush the axis of the drive shaft I6 is displacedrelatively to the axis about which the cylinder Il) swings. Means suchas a set screw or the like 243 may be provided for clamping said bush inthe desired position of adjustment.

In a like manner an adjustable bush I42a (which may follow either of thealternatives just described) may be provided for adjusting the lowerpinion l5, which meshes with a gear l4 on the bottcm cylinder Il, saidbottom bush I42a being adjustable either in a bore at the base of thestandard I40 or in a bore formed in a suitable part of the machineframe.

I claim:

1. In a circular knitting machine of the opposed needle cylinder kind,having two opposed needle cylinders, a set of cams for each cylinder, adrive shaft and gears for efiecting simultancous relative rotation ofthe cylinders and cams, whereln one cylinder and its cams isdisplaceable, substantially about the axis of the drive shaft, laterallyout of and into register With the other cylinder, said drive shafthaving its axis substantially parallel with that of said other cylinder;a bearing for the drive shaft, means for adjusting it to take up backlash in the gearing for eIecting relative rotation between thedisplaceable cylinder and its cams, and a pivot, for pivotaldisplacement of the displaceable cylinder and its cams, which pivotoccupies a fixed location substantially coaxial With the drive shaft.

2. In a circular knitting machine comprising a pair of beds for knittinginstrumentalitics, and driving means therefor disposed eccentricallytherecf, one of said beds being movable to and from a position in axialalinement vvith the other bed, the combination of a pivot for saidmovable bed surrounding but independent of said driving means; and meansfor adjusting said driving means within but independently of said pivottowards and away from said movable bed.

3. In a circular knitting machine comprising a pair of beds for knittinginstrumentalities, and driving means therefor, one of said beds beingmovable to and from a position in axial alinement With the other bed,the combination of a pivot for said movable bed having a fixed locationeccentric to the axis of said beds; a bearing for said driving meansinside and approximately concentric with said pivot; and means foradjusting the bearing inside the pivot to cause said driving means toapproach toward and recede from the movable bed.

4. In a circular knitting machine comprising a pair of beds for knittinginstruments, operating means for the instruments of each bed, anddriving means for effecting relative movements of at least partialrotation between each bed and its associated operating means to causemovement of the instruments, in which machine one of the beds and itsdriving means is movable to and from an operative position in which itis in register with the other bed without severing the drivingconnection aiforded by said driving means for efiecting the saidrelative movements between the movable bed and its associated operatingmeans, and the said driving means includes a drive member offset fromthe movable bed and arranged to make movements of at least partialrotation about an axis in transmittingthe drive; the combination of apivot for said movable bed substantially coaxial With the drive memberbut independent thereof, and means for adjusting the drive member,independently of the pivot, towards and away from the movable bed.

5. In a circular knitting machine comprisng a pair of opposed instrumentcylinders, a cam box for each of them, which cylinders and boxes arearranged to make relative movements of at least partial rotation, anddriving connections including a drive shaft for imparting said relativemovements to one cylinder and its box, which drive shaft has its axisparallel to that of said one cylinder but is located outside saidcylinder, in which machine said one cylinder and its box aredisplaceable, about an axis which is substantially concident with thatof the drive shaft, into and out of register With the other cylinderWithout disconnection of said driving connections; the combination of apivot for the displaceable cylinder and its box, which pivot issubstantially coaxial with the drive shaft but is independent thereof, abearing for the drive shat, and means for adjusting said bearing t0cause the drive shaft -to approach towards and recede from thedisplaceable cylinder and in said movement to change the relation of itsaxis to the axis about which the cylinder is displaceable.

6. In a circular knitting machine comprising a pair of beds for knittinginstrumentalities, means associated with each bed for actuating theinstrumentalities therein by relative movements of at least partialrotation between each bed and its associated actuating means, anddriving means for efi'ectlng said relative movements, in which machineone of the beds is displaceable into and out of axial register with theother bed about an axis and the driving means includes a. driving memberthat is arranged to make movements of at least partial rotation about anaxis, which is at least substantially concident with said axis ofdisplacement, in effecting the aforesaid relative movements between thedisplaceable bed and its associated actuating means; the combination ofmeans for maintaining the axis of the displaceable bed at a constantradius from the axis of displacement, and means for adjusting the axialposition of said driving member in relation to both said axis ofdisplacement and the axis of the displaceable bed and for thereby takingup back lash in the drive.

7. In a circular knitting machine comprising a pair of beds for knittinginstrumentalities, actuating means associated with each bed foractuating the instrumentalities thereof, and driving means disposedeccentrically of said beds for producing movements of at least partialrotation between each bed and its associated actuating means, oneof-said beds being movable to and from a position in axial alignmentwith the other bed, the combination of a pivot for the movable bedhaving a fixed location eccentric to the axes of said beds, a bearingfor the driving means, which pivot and bearing are substantiallyconcentric, and means for adjusting the bearing in relation to the pivott0 cause said driving means to approach toward and recede from themovable bed.

ALBERT VICTOR CLARKE.

